How to Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error

For users that regularly work with WordPress sites, CMS errors can become a common occurrence in their daily life. However, other common errors are the ones that are connected to your internet connections and DNS. This error is most commonly faced by visitors when they try to access a webpage and get a message saying “The site cannot be reached — the server IP address couldn’t be found.” along with a text that says DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN. 

This error limits you from accessing your website from anywhere at all. Most WordPress users have seen this error once in their cycle, and if you are viewing a similar error, then you should know that it can be easily fixed. This error message usually appears when the browser cannot connect to the requested website. And in this article, we will look at ways to fix this error and avoid it in the future. 

What is The DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error?

The error of DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN starts when the IP address is mismatched with the DNS of the computer. The DNS converts the complete message from the domain in the form of an IP address, and it then redirects the browser to the specific web browser where the files of the website are hosted. When someone feeds the URL in their respective browser, the DNS searches the server with the IP address. The searching process must redirect to the target website, but if the DNS fails, it displays errors. When this error arises, the browser will display a white screen along with the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. 

If we break this error message, NXDOMAIN stands for a Non Existent Domain. The likelihood of getting this error is very frequent. But the good news is, this error is fixable with some simple steps. You will have to use varying solutions for different browsers, this solution is based on the connection of the server. Also, every browser displays a different message, in the occurrence of this error. Google Chrome will display a message that “This site cannot be reached,” and with Firefox, you can notice “Hmm. we are having trouble finding this site” when the DNS has failed. All in all, this common issue can affect the performance of your website, and hamper the user’s experience. Thus, you should fix this error as soon as you can, to restore your site’s speed and performance. 

Top Ways To Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN Error

DNS probe errors can be easily fixed by the users themselves meaning, you won’t have to need any expert help to get your site back on track. If you have been experiencing issues with DNS, you will need to follow some generic steps to troubleshoot these errors and fix them in no time. Below, we have listed out some tried and tested methods that can help you resolve the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. 

1. Restart Your DNS Client Service

DNS errors can be resolved in various ways, the first and the most common method of fixing the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error is by resolving cached DNS server files. If you use the Windows OS, then follow these steps to resolve the issue. 

Option 1- Open the command prompt window and type ‘services. MSC’ in the terminal. This will lead you to the local services page. Once you arrive on the page, search for the “DNS Client” option and right-click on it. You will notice the option to restart, select this option, and the cache DNS files will be refreshed removing the errors. 

Option 2- If you don’t want to use the first method, you have one other option to refresh the DNS files. Open the command prompt on your device and type “cmd” in the terminal. This will open up the DOS layout. Type the command “net stop dnscache” and “net start dnscache” in this layout. This command will refresh your DNS files and resolve the error. 

2. Clear the Browser’s Cache

The other method of fixing the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error in chrome involves clearing the cache files of your browser. To clear these files, first, you should go to the settings page in your browser. When you arrive on this page, you will notice a popup window that can be used to clear the cache of your browser. Under this setting, you can choose the time range of your cached files. Meaning you can clear the cache for a specific time range like a month or a year. 

To fix the issues, we would recommend clearing files at all times. Thus, you should go to the setting and set the time range of “all time”. After setting the time range, check the box next to “cached images and files.” Once you have selected the two options, click the “clear data” button, and all your cached files will be cleared resolving the  DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. If this method doesn’t work, try the other methods from this article. 

3. Check The Local Hosts 

Local hosts files can be found across computing. These files hold the manual DNS records, and they are mapped with a particular IP address. Thus, ycan amend these while previewing the DNS before the domain is changed. This method is different for Mac and Windows O/s, but it is an effective one in resolving DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN errors. 

For Windows

1. First, run a Notepad, you can open it by manually searching for the software. 
2. You will need to run this file as an admin. Thus, you can use any text editor provider, if you don’t have access to Notepad. 
3. Open the address of the file location. This can be found in C:\ Windows\System32\drivers\etc\
4. Once all the above steps are completed, you should choose the host file next, it will have the details of the sites you visited. 
5. In the last step, remove if any site to be visited is mentioned in the file. As these can trigger issues on the main page of the website. 

For Mac

1. Mac users can use the application Gas Mask, this application can perform all tasks related to file management. 
2. If you don’t have access to this application, you can open the “Utilities” option located under the view tab. 
3. In the “utilities” option you can find a new page that has various options. In the set of options, choose the terminal one and enter your admin password. 
4. When this page opens up, search for “Sudo nano / private/ etc/ hosts”
5. All the host’s files with the details will be listed under this. 
6. Remove the sites that are marked as to be visited, similar to the windows process. This will complete the proceedings and fix the error. 

4. Turn Off Your Experimental Chrome Features

Sometimes the experimental features on Chrome can cause the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. Thus, you should check if you have enabled any of Chrome’s experimental features. You should turn these off to resolve these issues and get your website back on track. 

To turn these features off, you should go to chrome://flags/ within your browser. Once you have opened the options, click on the “Reset all” button that can be found on the top. This will clear all the experimental features and may help you get rid of the error. If you find your website is working slow and the performance is not up to the mark. You can have a look at our guide to Improve page loading speed in 2 minutes: Simple Guide (latest edition). 

5. Check The DNS of User Domain 

DNS issues are one of the most common ones that can make your website inaccessible. DNS issues affect various domains and can hamper the experience of users. Although, there can be a specific issue for a single-out domain affecting your website. When a user tries to browse through a website and gets the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. It can be due to the name of the domain when the DNS settings are cached inaccurately in the PC. 

When the user shifts the web page under a new hosting provider, the previous caching may have been mapped incorrectly to the PC and result in this error. You can resolve this issue by restarting the DNS client service. This is one of the most effective solutions to this problem. When you revoke the DNS, the mapping and new cached files replace the old ones and remove the error. 

6. Release and Renew Your IP Address

This method is among the most used when the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error is displayed on the screen. This method flushes the old cache and resets it with a newer and updated IP address. The steps of this method vary for Windows and Mac users.

For Windows

1. Open the Run command box in your Windows O/S by clicking the Windows and R keys together. Once it is open, type “cmd” and run it. 
2. The command prompt will open up. Type “ipconfig/release” on the page. It will release the existing IP address. 
3. After the IP address is released from the system, type “ipconfig/flushdns.” This will release the DNS cache. 
4. Once the DNS cache si released, you will need to renew the IP address by typing “ipconfig/renew”
5. After renewing, type “netsh int ip set dns” and run it. This command will reset the complete IP settings. 
6. Next, you will have to reinstate the Winsock catalog by typing “netsh Winsock reset”
7. In the end, restart the PC to ensure all the settings are saved, and the issue is resolved. 

For Mac

1. With Mac OS, you can use the Gas Mask to search all the system-related works. If you don’t have access to it, open the system preference option from the main menu. 
2. After the option is open, go to the Ethernet option and click for more advanced options. 
3. Click on the TCP/IP tab. This will release a DHCP option, and the process will allow you to clear out your local DNS. 
4. You can also clear the local DNS cache by visiting the terminal page from the Utilities section and entering the command “dscacheutil –flushcache”
5. The local DNS cache will be removed after entering the command. 

7. Stop The Firewall, Anti-Virus, and VPN

The DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error can be caused because of the firewall actions. If you have an antivirus installed to track the web browsers this can increase the chances of the error. Thus, if none of the above methods are working for you, try disabling the VPN addons, firewalls, or anti-virus. Sometimes, when this external software is disabled, it can resolve the error and bring a change to your overall website. You can also refer to our guide 20 Ways To Speed Up Your Website | Practical Tips to speed up your WordPress website.  

8. Reset Your Web Browsers

Web browsers are the ones that are responsible for transferring your data from the World Wide Web and the end-users. Web browsers including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox can face stagnant cache in certain sites, and this can lead to the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. Thus, resetting your web browsers can be a handy and effective solution when you are trying to fix this error. 

The setting within Google Chrome can be a bit complex and can change up the DNS. Thus, to ensure that doesn’t happen to you, use chrome://flags in the browser. This will open up a page and reset all the settings to their default options. Once the settings are reset, restart your browser to ensure if the issue has been resolved. In most cases, resetting the web browser can be an effective solution, and after resetting users can open any of their desired websites. 

9. Other Effective Methods 

Apart from all the methods we discussed above, you can find several others that can help you fix the chrome DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error. Thus, you can try to update the network driver, it has proven effective in some cases. The network drivers can be downloaded and installed online and can be done within minutes. And this method can be your breakthrough, and resolve your DNS error. 

Final Words 

DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN errors are some of the most common issues faced by users. With the above-mentioned methods, you can effectively fix the error without affecting your network or browser settings. To ensure that you don’t face this error in the future, keep updating and clearing your cache. If you don’t clean and update your settings from time to time, this issue will remain persistent. All the methods mentioned above are tried and tested. Thus, you will always have ways to fix the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error that will have minimal impact on your browser. 

Also Read- How To Eliminate Render-Blocking Resources On WordPress